2015 Denver Broncos... Best NFL defense all-time?

[GaFFLe]

Hmmm... a legendary but lamed quarterback who's no longer effective but they still handily win this game and it's all based on their defense's smothering performance.  This reminds me of the 2000 Raven's defense; they had a lowly Trent Dilfer at QB who's job was just to not turn it over.  Some say the best defense was the '85 Bears.  What say you?

Edited February 8, 2016 by GaFFLe

[GaFFLe]

3 minutes ago, tactician said:

It's in the top 3 to 5 all time, Right up there with 85 Bears and 2000 Ravens

I agree.  I'd easily give them top three especially after what they did to Tom Brady and the Patriots. 

[GaFFLe]

Ha!  Akeem Talib just said "MF" and the TV had to cut to the audience... idiot!

[PeytonMannings Forehead]

Wasn't this question asked a few years ago with Seattle?

No it's not a top three all-time defense but they may have strung together one of the top defensive performances in post season history. 

[GaFFLe]

8 minutes ago, PeytonMannings Forehead said:

Wasn't this question asked a few years ago with Seattle?

No it's not a top three all-time defense but they may have strung together one of the top defensive performances in post season history. 

Seattle had a dynamic and VERY good quarterback in Russell Wilson, good play-maker receivers and a running back named Beast Mode... Their defense was very good but not all-time good IMO.

Edited February 8, 2016 by GaFFLe

[PeytonMannings Forehead]

6 minutes ago, GaFFLe said:

Seattle had a dynamic and VERY good quarterback in Russell Wilson, good play-maker receivers and a running back named Beast Mode... Their defense was very good but not all-time good IMO.

 

Funny because a few years ago the narrative was just the opposite. Great running back but pedestrian receivers and an athletic qb who wasnt a great passer, carried by a great defense.

[PeytonMannings Forehead]

46 minutes ago, tactician said:

To win a Super Bowl with this mediocre offense really is incredible.

Not taking anything away from Denver.  There aren't enough superlatives for what they did.  Just don't like the prisoner of the moment thinking.  There has been a lot of great defense played over the breadth of this great sport.

[JC Falcon]

Most SB contenders have at least average play in all 3 phases of O D and ST and at least 1 dominant phase.

Denver was below average on offense, but WAY above average on D and got good play from ST including limiting returns on punts. Even an average defense gets destroyed by Carolina in that game because the offense went 3 and out so much. 

[Atlfanstckndenver]

By the way I was happy for Peyton that he didn't have to carry a team to the superbowl. 

[*Old Pappy Falcon*]

Heck no! Great but not the greatest.

[NYCFalc]

Top 10, maybe. That had a great playoff run, but so did the Giants defense back in the 07 season. They weren't nearly as dominate as the 00 Ravens or even the 13 Hawks much less the 85 Bears or some of the 70s Steelers.

[PeytonMannings Forehead]

Saw this a few days ago on NFL.com.  I've got a few quibbles, but I've got a lot of respect for Gil Brandt.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000636900/article/1985-bears-2015-broncos-among-five-best-defenses-of-all-time

Quote

As the old saying goes, offense sells tickets but defense wins championships.

This truism is illustrated by the fact that, though we're in the midst of an increasingly pass-happy era, two of the past three Super Bowl championships were won by defensive juggernauts (the 2013 Seattle Seahawks and 2015 Denver Broncos).

Of course, it's easy to get swept up in the moment and celebrate the most recent champions. So I wanted to take a step back and assess where the Broncos' astoundingly dominant defense ranks among the all-time best. Below, you'll find my top five defenses of all time.

A note before we begin: I also considered the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers and 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but those units did not make the cut.

1) 1985 Chicago Bears

 

Yards allowed: 258.4 per game (first in the NFL). Points allowed: 12.4 per game (first).

 

 

Bill Parcells told me this is the best defense he's ever faced. The Bearstrampled offenses in the regular season before going on an astonishing playoff run in which they shut out the Giants(21-0) and Rams (24-0), then beat thePatriots by 36 points in Super Bowl XX -- during which they held New England to7 rushing yards. Between coordinator Buddy Ryan and a unit that included some really good players -- defensive ends Dan Hampton and Richard Dent, linebackers Mike Singletary and Otis Wilson and safeties Dave Duerson and Gary Fencik -- Chicago's defense won with both superior scheming and superior talent, collecting 34 interceptions and 64 sacks. Not for nothing, Chicago's point differential of 258 remains the fifth-best mark since 1970.

I was with the Cowboys when we played this team, and the Bears just manhandled us, romping to a 44-0 win. Chicago did benefit from having the No. 1 rushing attack that season, which helped limit the amount of time the defense spent on the field. But the bottom line is, the Bears shut people down by relying on man coverage, blitzing a lot and taking away the run. People really couldn't do anything against them.

2) 2000 Baltimore Ravens

 

Yards allowed: 247.9 per game (second). Points allowed: 10.3 per game (first).

Aside from Hall of Fame safety Rod Woodson and star linebacker Ray Lewis, this group didn't have a ton of big-name players. Rather, the Ravens' defense played extremely well as a unit, serving as the driving engine of Baltimore's run to Super Bowl XXXV. Consider that the offense, which really only had one legitimate threat in running back Jamal Lewis, scored 16 points or less in nine of the team's 20 games (including the playoffs). And yet, the Ravens and their top-ranked scoring defense qualified for a wild-card berth, then won three playoff games, including tough road contests in Tennessee and Oakland, before capturing the Lombardi Trophy. And it's not like the defense dominated the stat sheet; with two very average quarterbacks (Tony Banks and Trent Dilfer) under center, Baltimore gave up more sacks (43) than the defense recorded (35), while Banks and Dilfer threw nearly as many interceptions (19) as the Ravens snared (23).

Ironically, head coach Brian Billick was seen as an offensive-minded coach. But consider the names on the defensive staff, including coordinator Marvin Lewis, defensive line coach Rex Ryan, linebackers coach Jack Del Rio and defensive assistant Mike Smith. All of those guys went on to have success as head men, and all are currently employed with teams today.

3) 2015 Denver Broncos

 

Yards allowed: 283.1 per game (first). Points allowed: 18.5 per game (fourth).

 

 

I was very surprised to see it happen in this pass-happy era, but the Broncos' defense basically single-handedly wonSuper Bowl 50. Denver's offense was outgained in the playoffs and couldn't even muster up more than 200 yards against the Panthers in the Super Bowl, but the Broncos held all three playoff opponents to an astonishing combined total of 44 points -- that's less than 15 points per game scored by offenses featuring top-notch quarterbacks in Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady and Cam Newton. The Steelers and Patriots were good teams, and the Panthers, of course, led the NFL in scoring in 2015. Denver collected 27 takeaways, tied for seventh-most in the NFL, but still posted a negative turnover differential (minus-4), illustrating just how little the offense contributed to the cause. The Broncos allowed an NFL-low 283 yards per game and were one of four teams to allow less than 300 points for the season. Accomplishing such dominance in today's offense-driven environment is even more impressive than what some of the big-name defenses of the past did.

Interestingly, Denver didn't do it with a lot of bells and whistles -- just old-time football. They'd make one or two substitutions on third down or in special situations, but the defense was comprised of really solid players who were very thoroughly coached, technique-wise. Coordinator Wade Phillips is like his late father, Bum -- kind of a throwback, an old Texas high school coach who has gotten great defensive play wherever he's been. It's not flashy, it's not exotic, it's just solid football, with guys being in the right place.

Of course, it's rare that you'll have a team like this, with two great pass-rushers (Von Miller andDeMarcus Ware), three shutdown corners (Aqib Talib, Chris Harris and Bradley Roby) and a line (withSylvester Williams, Derek Wolfe and Malik Jackson) that can stop the run. Not often will a team haveall those pieces in place. As Newton told me before the Super Bowl, a lot of teams have one outstanding corner, some have two, but you hardly see three. But thanks to some shrewd moves, including the opportunistic additions of Ware and Talib in 2014, the Broncos had something special in place.

4) 2013 Seattle Seahawks

 

Yards allowed: 273.6 per game (first). Points allowed: 14.4 per game (first).

This team ranks this highly because of the degree of difficulty in being a dominant defense in the current era. The Seahawks gave up a league-low 231 points in the regular season, finishing 2013 with the NFL's best overall and passing defense. They racked up 28 interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns, and 44 sacks. Seattle didn't blitz very much; rather, the Seahawks relied on outstanding linebackers (Bobby Wagner) and defensive backs (Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomasagainst the run; Thomas and Richard Sherman against the pass) to shut everyone down.

Seattle truly made its mark in the playoffs, where the defense simply dazzled. The sign of a great defense is an ability to make critical stops, and like the 2015 Broncos, the Seahawks knew how to stop 'em when they had to, squashing late comeback attempts by the Saints in the Divisional Round and the 49ers in the NFC title game. And, of course, Seattle completely dominated the Broncos -- who, like the Panthers in 2015, were the NFL's highest-scoring offense in 2013 -- in Super Bowl XLVIII.

5) 1986 New York Giants

 

Yards allowed: 297.3 per game (second). Points allowed: 14.8 per game (third).

 

 

Like the rest of the teams on this list, the 1986 Giants absolutely steamrolled their playoff opponents, allowing a combined 23 points -- 20 of which came in Super Bowl XXI. That's right: New York held the Joe Montana-Jerry Rice Niners tothree points and shut out the Redskinsin the NFC title match before beating John Elway's Broncos for all the marbles. And the Broncos' 15th-ranked offense was the lowest-ranked of the bunch, with San Francisco (third) and Washington (fifth) landing in the top five.

Hall of Famers Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson were outstanding, as was fellow linebacker Carl Banks, but New York didn't have any shutdown corners or outstanding defensive linemen. This team won more because of scheme than an overabundance of defensive talent. Parcells and coordinator Bill Belichick knew how to make the most of each guy, getting their players in the right place and not giving up big plays. They knew how to adjust to stop the opponent of the day. I speak from experience. When we played them in the regular-season opener, we beat them, 31-28; when we saw them again in November, we lost, 17-14.

Good to see the '86 Giants get some love, but I might have been tempted to go with the 2002 Bucs, and I think the early 90's Eagles of Reggie White, Seth Joyner, and Jerome Brown seems to have been forgotten somewhat as the years go by.

Edited February 20, 2016 by PeytonMannings Forehead

[Summerhill]

In case anyone cares about Football Outsiders, they use their own metrics to score and rank defenses and here is how they ranked them: 

2015: DEN -25.8% 

2014: SEA -16.8%

2013: SEA -25.9%

2012: CHI -26.7%

2011: BAL -17.1%

2010: PIT -20.7%

2009: NYJ -25.5%

2008: PIT -29.0%

2007: TEN -14.4%

2006: BAL -23.0%

2005: CHI -19.4%

2004: BUF -28.5%

2003: BAL -25.0%

2002: TB -31.8%

[PeytonMannings Forehead]

4 hours ago, Summerhill said:

In case anyone cares about Football Outsiders, they use their own metrics to score and rank defenses and here is how they ranked them: 

2015: DEN -25.8% 

2014: SEA -16.8%

2013: SEA -25.9%

2012: CHI -26.7%

2011: BAL -17.1%

2010: PIT -20.7%

2009: NYJ -25.5%

2008: PIT -29.0%

2007: TEN -14.4%

2006: BAL -23.0%

2005: CHI -19.4%

2004: BUF -28.5%

2003: BAL -25.0%

2002: TB -31.8%

This interesting.  What do the percentages mean?  These are who they rank as the number 1 defense for the corresponding year?  What about 2000, and 2001?  I'm particularly interested in 2000, that's the year everyone remember the Ravens, but they actually finished #2 to Tennessee.  Do you have a link?

Also

[Summerhill]

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/teamdef 

2000: TEN -25.0% (BAL -23.8%)

[jb 3.0]

On March 14, 2016 at 8:12 PM, WhenFalconsWin said:

77' Falcons,,,sorry had to do it.  They were really good and they get overlooked

Don't apologize for being a know nothing homer. No need, most already know you are.

[jb 3.0]

4 hours ago, WhenFalconsWin said:

Poor OCPA, he has been seeking approval from WFW to validate his existence on the AFMBs for over 16 years now.  Not to mention he wants me on the splinter crap boards they made up...it's beyond sad.  No means no...

So pathetic you've gotta use my old memes. You are seriously beyond pathetic. You wouldn't be allowed to post your condescending, delusional crap over at .net anyway. I can't understand why you believe that we would want such a condescending, self absorbed **** such as yourself posting there.

BTW, these delusions of yours are not helping with what slim grip on reality you still possess. You may want to seek help, and for GODSAKE.......... Come ORIGINAL with these memes next time, you pathetic bastid.

[jb 3.0]

14 hours ago, WhenFalconsWin said:

Y'all stole everything I ever did on RC.  I made your character for god sake.  Without me you are just an ole crusty pirate's (OCPA) and word on the street is they cannot stand your BS over there either.  So now you are over here trying to rekindle what you thought you used to have with me.  It was me you delusional fool that the people wanted banter from not you.  I sort of made you interesting to them and made you a bit of a celebrity, until they got sick of your nonsense.   Anyways, I do feel sorry for you, I mean look at yourself below?  How could I defend this to anyone?  

I completely understand how a person as boring and in love with themselves as you would have a problem with a passionate fan. Completely!! Nah.......We just like to watch you squirm and try anyway possible for you to excuse and rationalize how ridiculous you are.

[jb 3.0]

1 hour ago, WhenFalconsWin said:

Nice try, but as usual....a complete bust as far as humor and originality. It's really amazing how much you suck at everything.

[jb 3.0]

2 hours ago, WhenFalconsWin said:

 

 

 

[jb 3.0]

Still using my memes, huh? You truly are beyond pathetic.

[Drunken Minotaur Zebra]

On 3/14/2016 at 8:12 PM, WhenFalconsWin said:

77' Falcons,,,sorry had to do it.  They were really good and they get overlooked

.

[falconfan5832]

If you look at the numbers,the number one defense of the Super bowl era is in a 14 game season allowing just under 10 points a game ,but didn't win the Super Bowl because their offense was TERRIBLE,the '77 Atlanta Falcons (the grits blitz) Example:In two games,they held the other team to under  100 yards total,and they lost both games!

[Falconsfan567]

On 2/8/2016 at 10:03 AM, Atlfanstckndenver said:

By the way I was happy for Peyton that he didn't have to carry a team to the superbowl. 

Both of the Super Bowls that Peyton won were thanks to his defense playing completely lights out.

[Atlfanstckndenver]

6 hours ago, Falconsfan567 said:

Both of the Super Bowls that Peyton won were thanks to his defense playing completely lights out.

Which is usually the case for super bowl champs.  Heck even the year the Packers won it,  that game against the Bears was not exactly pretty from the Packers offense.  That Packers' defense was really something that year, especially in the playoffs.   I think Collins was one of the most underrated safeties I've seen.  Plus until Sanders came back for the Colts' playoff run  that defense was definitely not carrying the team.  I just doubt they would've even made the playoffs that year without Manning. Then when they finally got things together it all clicked. I think the run game with Rhodes and Addai deserve credit for that run too.

Sidenote:  Bob Sanders was so fun to watch.  Incredible player that couldn't possibly last. He played so far above what his body was capable of handling.